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The Jerk (1979) 7.2
An idiotic man struggles to make it through life on his own in St. Louis. Director:Carl Reiner |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Steve Martin | ... |
Navin /
Cat Juggler
(as Pig Eye Jackson also)
|
|
| Bernadette Peters | ... | ||
| Catlin Adams | ... | ||
| Mabel King | ... | ||
 |
Richard Ward | ... | |
| Dick Anthony Williams | ... | ||
| Bill Macy | ... | ||
| M. Emmet Walsh | ... | ||
| Dick O'Neill | ... | ||
| Maurice Evans | ... | ||
|
|
Helena Carroll | ... | |
| Renn Woods | ... |
Elvira
(as Ren Wood)
|
|
| Pepe Serna | ... | ||
|
|
Sonny Terry | ... | |
|
|
Brownie McGhee | ... |
Blues Singer
(as Brownie McGee)
|
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (86) »
Storyline
Navin is an idiot. He grew up in Mississippi as adopted son of a black family but on his 18th birthday he feels he wants to discover the rest of the world and sets out to St. Louis. There everyone exploits his naivety, but then a simple invention brings him a fortune. Written by Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>
Plot Keywords:
absurd humor | madcap comedy | 1970s | neominstrelsy | woman initiating sex |Taglines:
A rags to riches to rags story See more »Genres:
ComedyCertificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
14 December 1979 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Supernollan See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Navin R. Johnson: Huh? I am *not* a bum. I'm a jerk. I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends, and... uh... my thermos. Huh? My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi...
See more »
Sung by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (as Brownie McGee)
Words and Music by Leadbelly (as Huddie Ledbetter)
Collected and Adapted by John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Readers of movie magazine Premiere voted Steve Martin's performance as Navin Johnson to the No. #99 spot for their "The 100 Greatest Performances of All Time" poll. See more »Goofs
Navin opens his door and throws popcorn in the face of the Private Investigator, right after the popcorn bounces off the face the PI spits a mouthful out. The PI never opened his mouth prior to the throw. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Navin R. Johnson: Huh? I am *not* a bum. I'm a jerk. I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends, and... uh... my thermos. Huh? My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi...
See more »
Crazy Credits
Pig Eye Jackson - Cat Juggler (Steve Martin) See more »Soundtracks
Pick A Bale Of CottonSung by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (as Brownie McGee)
Words and Music by Leadbelly (as Huddie Ledbetter)
Collected and Adapted by John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax
See more »
I first saw this when it was released at the movies. It was one of those you could happily go to see again with somebody else the following night. It's on TV right now as I write this, 23 years later and it's difficult to finish the review with all the great dialogue in the background. The purpose of a comedy movie (apart from making money!) is to make people laugh. This one does it constantly. I've got to give it a 10.